


Memo

by pepsicancolours



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3292094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepsicancolours/pseuds/pepsicancolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A relationship between two super spies pretty much guarantees two things: stealth and secrets. They thought no one knew. They all knew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memo

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is my first time uploading some of my writing to the internet in a very long time so forgive me if it's a bit raw. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Do not copy, duplicate or re-post in any shape or form. I do not authorise this piece of writing to be used anywhere.

 

 

Coulson knew before any of them. Coulson kinda knew before _even_ Natasha herself knew. As he stood in front of a weakened Fury, watching a medical aid attend to the oozing lacerations on his skin, he wished, not for the first time that he'd taken a much simpler job all those years ago. Between raspy coughs, Fury explained what happened with Loki, detailing orders to the loitering agents along the way. Once everyone had cleared out, Fury dropped the bombshell; Barton had _willingly_ disappeared alongside the enemy. Before he even began to consider procedures or calculate a plan, Coulson instinctively reached for his phone with only one number on his mind. He knew she was on a mission in Russia gathering intel about weapons shipments (on his orders) but he also knew that she would kill him with her bare thighs if he didn't let her know right away. Of course there was other agents qualified for the job, ready and willing to ship out immediately, but none of them were Natasha Romanoff.  
  
“Natasha...Barton's been compromised.”  
  
The pause that followed told Coulson everything about what he had slowly begun to suspect. For an average person the silence would be normal, even expected, but for the fast talking, witty assassin, it was a silence born out of fear for someone you care about.

 

\- - - - -

 

Stark had a pool going. Something he only felt the tiniest bit of shame about and only because Pepper had put it there. He had relatively bad odds on Bruce hooking up with one of the new lab interns, mediocre odds on Steve and Sam but Natasha and Clint? Now those were odds Tony didn't want to mess with unless he wanted all his fingers broken joint by joint; he'd heard the horror stories floating around SHIELD...okay, okay, that's a lie, he'd (surprisingly easily) hacked their files. All in the name of research - or so he told himself. It had absolutely nothing to do with his neurotic need to know everything about everything. Nothing at all.  
  
It was a few weeks after the gang had moved into Stark Tower when Tony figured it out. New York had unsettled Tony more than he would ever let on and the hours he spent awake quickly outgrew the hours he slept. He was scared. Scared for his life, Pepper's life and the lives of his team. It was relatively easy to write the program into Jarvis' main frame really, despite the nagging in his conscious that it was wrong. But Tony's need to make sure his - ugh, his _friends_ were okay outweighed every rational thought.  
  
Late one night after everyone had retired to their rooms, Tony began work on the chest plate for a new suit.  
“Jarvis, you know the drill.”  
“Yes, Sir. Dr Banner and Miss Potts have returned to their respective rooms. Mr Rogers is currently in the communal area and both Mr Barton and Miss Romanoff are in Mr Barton's room.”  
It took a couple of seconds for his tired brain to catch up with what the A.I. had said but when it did, he wasted no time in pulling up the floor plan of Stark Tower. Each member of the dysfunctional family had a corresponding icon with their location clearly marked. Again, it was totally neurotic but sure it was better to be safe than sorry? Tony would never sleep again if one of them got hurt and he could have prevented it. At least this way he could make sure they were all accounted for and no unusual presences were lurking in the shadows. He watched for a few minutes and the dots remained in place. He entertained the idea of late night training sessions, chuckling to himself at the innuendo. When Pepper questioned him later, he'd chalk it down to mild hysteria as a result of sleep deprivation but the truth was, Tony just wanted to know.  
  
So Tony Stark pulled the fire alarm for the top floor of Stark Tower.  
  
Everyone rushed into the lounge area, panicked and looking for a cause for concern. Bruce had skidded in from the South side, Pepper appeared from the stairs while Tony came up behind Steve. Natasha and Clint both ran in from the North side, weapons dangling from their fingertips. No one but Tony spared them a second glance as eyes darted around the room for a fire or intruder. The screaming alarm shut off abruptly, cloaking the room in silence.

  
“Tony what is going on?” Pepper stepped beside the older man.

  
“Oh, nothing, accident, you know me” Tony waved his hand around dismissing the idea something serious had happened. “Hey Spidey-girl, isn't your bedroom on the South side?”

The glare she gave Tony would probably appear in one of his nightmares. The lie fell off Barton's tongue before she had a chance to counter attack, almost like he'd rehearsed it.

 

“Hearing aids, she knew I wouldn't have them in so came to get me.” The archer pointed to his ears as if to illustrate the point.  
Tony narrowed his eyes at the duo as Pepper grabbed his arm to lead him away.

  
“Come on, back to bed everyone. Everything's fine.”  
The billionaire followed suit as everyone dispersed, his mouth finally opening wide in a yawn. He might have been distracted but Pepper didn't fail to notice the two spies heading back to the North side together, Clint's hand delicately placed on the small of Natasha's back.

 

\- - - - -

 

Darcy, Jane and Thor pretty much came as a package deal so it was no surprise that all three of them knew within hours of each other. Darcy, if given the choice, would have preferred to never speak of it again but Jane found the whole thing hilarious and since when was Darcy one to deny Jane anything?  
  
It was a couple of months into the Stark Tower living arrangement when the group had their official house warming party. It was the first time since arriving that everyone was together, sort of - Natasha had crashed early after arriving back from New Zealand hours before and Pepper was in England. But that didn't stop everyone from sitting down with a few beers and acting like regular people for just an evening. Although, this led to Darcy having more to drink than she originally planned. Clint was sat next to her on the sofa, his arm draped loosely across the back while he listened to the intern ramble about her day.  
“- I mean who doesn't like that song? It should be criminal to not absolutely love that song with every fibre of your being!”  
“Uh huh.”  
Clint laughed to himself, not noticing how Darcy had stopped talking and was leaning closer until her lips were practically on top of his. He startled before lightly placing his hands on her arms, pushing her back a little.  


“Whoa, Darcy, I uh can't, sorry.”  
Almost unconsciously his eyes travelled to the corridor that led to Natasha's room and while he didn't notice himself doing it, Darcy did.

  
“OH! Oh, no, I'm the one who's sorry! I didn't know. OH! Oh dear.”  
The brunette ran to the other side of the room, hiding behind Steve's broad shoulders and all Clint could do was laugh, he knew Natasha would find the entire exchange hilarious.  
  
Just like Jane.  
Jane tells Thor as they lie on the squeaky bed in her tiny apartment, the mattress barely holding his gigantic frame. She doesn't really care about the personal relationships of her colleagues but loves relating Darcy's embarrassing antics at any opportunity, much like an older sister. Thor nodded, quietly, absorbing the information.  
“I had some suspicions. Have you ever witnessed them fight?”  
Jane shook her head against the pillow, her hair tangling.

  
“I have fought beside them many times now and it is wondrous to watch them together. It reminds me much of my own mother and father. When I was little, when my parents were much younger, my mother demanded she be trained with weaponry so she would be prepared should there be a grand battle. Father agreed, if he was the only one allowed to teach her. I remember sitting on the steps watching him teach my mother the correct way to hold swords, exactly when to lunge, and where to strike. Their sessions would last hours, long into the night, only pausing when mother forced me to my room. When you have spent your life training and fighting like I have, you learn to watch your enemy and your team and play to the strengths and weaknesses. Watching the two of them – they know each other and their bodies so well, it comes from a bigger place than camaraderie.”  
  
Jane nodded thoughtfully, not expecting such a long winded and deep answer from the man beside her.  
“Though I do not know how a bird and spider can love each other. I hope he doesn't eat her.”  
The sincerity in his voice made Jane laugh, her face pressed into his thick shoulder.  


“Goodnight, Thor.”

 

\- - - - -

 

Steve figured it out at the exact moment he had Natasha pressed up against a wall in an empty room of the hospital Fury died in. The silver had glinted in the harsh lighting from the corridor outside, catching his eye. A quick (because lets be honest, everything the Captain did was quick) glance revealed the shape of a tiny arrow flush against her pale skin, a thin chain hooking it around her neck. It looked so out of place on Natasha's strictly business, always action ready appearance that it threw Steve for a second. He tried to remember the last time he saw her bare neck but it was near impossible to locate exactly when the assassin let the archer stake his claim so obviously. Natasha's voice and the stick Fury gave him waving around in her hand, brought his attention back to what was really happening.  
  
All day, Steve couldn't stop himself from scouring through old memories and looking for any indication of a... _thing_ between the two deadly spies. Later that night as the two shared a room in Sam's house, Natasha listed yet another eligible woman for the all American hero and only then, in the dark, would Steve ask. Natasha's trademark smirk was the only reply he got.

 

\- - - - -

 

As Tony dramatically lay across one of the stainless steel lab tables, Bruce couldn't help but wonder whether he should start charging for the never ending 'sessions'. His lab had somehow become the go to hot spot for the world's mightiest heroes and their woes, everyone mistaking Bruce's meditative silence for listening.  
“I mean, what else am I supposed to do? I bought her flowers!” The engineer groaned, popping more fruit in his mouth despite Bruce telling him (over and over) that no food or drink was allowed in the room.  
Bruce didn't look up from the sample he was studying.  
“Tony, you put her brand new dress on one of your little robots and was actually surprised when it caught fire.”  


“And one of my prototypes punched a wall through the bedroom, lets not forget that. I don't think Pepper will ever let me forget that.”  
All Bruce could do was shake his head at Tony's antics. Pepper probably deserved sainthood for putting up with Tony's 'quirks'.  


“What if I got her a giant-”  
The door behind the two older men opened, revealing a hungover and slightly bedraggled Darcy. She fell into one of the chairs surrounding Tony's table, placing her head beside his thigh on the cold metal. Looking more like he was about to poke a dead animal than one of his interns, Stark placed his open palmed hand over Darcy's head, patting it awkwardly. Bruce hadn't even opened his mouth to ask what was wrong before she threw her head back, rubbing her hands down her face.  
  
“I did something really really completely stupid last night at the party and now I feel so unbearably awkward I want one of you to banish me from this tower so I can wallow in my own all consuming self pity for a few days with nothing but mint choc chip ice cream and re-runs of Project Runway for company.”  
Tony's eyes lit up with the opportunity to delve in to someone else's business. Bruce simply went back to examining the sample slid under the microscope.  
  
“Well first of all, I'm about 76% sure I own an ice cream parlour somewhere-”

  
“Wait, what?” Darcy squinted at the billionaire trying to determine whether it was the truth.

  
“Yeah, I sometimes, maybe occasionally, more often than I probably should, buy businesses when I'm drunk. Kinda like the way people do online shopping except a lot more expensive. Anyway, what happened kiddo? I didn't see anything explode...”

  
Bruce snorted and the pair turned to face him, almost forgetting he was there. The brunette took an overly dramatic gulp of air and spewed her words out into the silence.  
“I tried to kiss Clint.”  
  
Bruce stared at her in disbelief and confusion. Had he been that wrapped up in things that he didn't notice the young lab partner's affections for the archer? Tony tried to disguise his laugh with a cough, failing miserably as usual.  
“I didn't know he and Natasha had a thing! I swear! I'm actually a little terrified for my life...maybe I should hire a bodyguard or borrow one of your suits, Tony or maybe just fake my own death.”  
Tony re-adjusted his position, dangling his legs over the edge of the table. Bruce attempted to turn back to his work, scribbling numbers down on a notepad but finding his concentration slipping. Just like always.  
  
“Wait, you know about Spidey-girl and Bird-boy?”

  
“Yeah, I thought everyone did? By the way, that sounds like a great film, we should capitalise on that, well, you should - I'm going to go live in Alaska where Natasha can't find me.”  
Steve chose that moment to wander into the lab and Bruce threw his hands up, admitting defeat. It was a wonder he ever got any work done in the tower. He loved his friends dearly but their gossiping drove him mildly insane sometimes. The broad blonde leant on the opposite table to Tony, sandwiching Darcy between the two men. Something she didn't seem to mind judging by the way she relaxed. Maybe the thought of Steve and Tony as a barrier to protect her against Natasha had soothed her worries or maybe it was the fact she held the attention of two of the world's 'sexiest men alive' as the magazines had coined it.  
  
“Why would Natasha want to find you?” Steve inquired.

  
“I might have tried to kiss her boyfriend last night.”

  
“Clint? Wait – you guys knew about the two of them as well? How?”  
Bruce felt incredibly out of the loop, despite thinking he knew most of the secrets in the tower. He knew Thor's favourite movies were Sandra Bullock ones, that Tony had bought another new car without telling Pepper, that Darcy had been the one to break his favourite mug, that Jane liked lacy underwear (the girls let go around him way too often for his liking) and even that Steve had been hiding Bucky away in his room for the latter part of the week. So how had he not noticed that two of his friends were an item? One of his closest friends, even.  
  
Tony popped more blueberries into his mouth, chewing as he spoke.  
“That fire alarm last week? Not an accident. They ran out of the same bedroom. You?”

  
“Natasha has a necklace in the shape of an arrow. Darcy?”

  
“I tried it on with the guy and he didn't bite. It had to be a girlfriend.” Darcy smiled, the sarcastic comment hiding how embarrassed she really felt. The room fell quiet again as everyone weighed up the new information.

  
“I had no idea.” Bruce whispered.

 

\- - - - -

 

Clint knew from the first moment he laid eyes on her hallmark red hair weaving in and out of a crowd, that Natalia Romanova would take him for all he had. Though he'd expected it to be physical, no one had ever come close to taking down the Black Widow (for pretty valid reasons) or to even affect his arrangement with SHIELD; Fury never tolerated refusal to follow orders. _Loving_ the Black Widow was a whole different ball game. Crouched on a rooftop, the cold air whipping at his face painfully, Clint watched one of the deadliest women in the world sneak a piece of food to a dog tied to a street lamp, pickpocket a hunched over lady with a fur coat and inject something into a man wearing a fine black suit. While everything turned into chaos, everyone rushing to help the man who was spitting foam across the pavement, Natalia strolled onwards in the opposite direction as if oblivious to it all. Slowly and without really noticing, Clint developed an interest.  
  
It was years later when the full force of Clint's mercy that day in Russia hit him. He lay in a hotel room in Paris, staring at the ceiling while Natasha lay next to him, her long body relaxed for the first time in weeks. The mission had been unexpectedly difficult, pushing his body to the limits in ways he didn't think were possible any more. He'd been shot. Twice. While the roof fell in on his blood drained body. Natasha had dragged him out from the rubble, determination the only thing keeping her battle torn body upright. Even now, hours later, her chest rose unevenly with each breath intake, her body struggling to fix everything it needed to. Clint didn't have that luxury, having to wait out his injuries like an average human. The sheets kept catching on his stitches, his left shoulder screamed at any slight movement and his whole body felt feverish, the numerous open windows doing nothing to lower his temperature. Injured Clint was grumpy as hell. They had a few more hours until the evacuation team arrived.  
  
Natasha shifted positions, causing the mattress to dip and Clint had to bite his lip to keep out from whimpering at the pain. He watched her push her face into the pillow, her ballerina bun messily flopping to the side. He watched for any signs of discomfort, waiting for her face to scrunch up in pain but her nose simply twitched before falling slack again. Almost instinctively, a bruised and scraped arm reached out, searching for Clint's body before falling gently on his abdomen. Natasha's long fingers felt ice cold against the worryingly hot temperature of Clint's skin. The action took him by complete surprise. Natasha rarely relaxed, her body going through the motions like a machine half the time and sleep was no exception. She'd confided in him a long time ago that she felt most vulnerable when she was asleep, after having killed many of her marks as they recharged. It was why he'd sometimes wake to her lunging for a gun after hearing a mouse or someone on the floor above drop something. It was why they were never much for cuddling. The two of them wanted to protect each other and to do that, they had to be on high alert at all times. In their line of work, they couldn't afford to relax. However, right then, Natasha was in a full deep sleep and stripped of all her thoughts, her body yearned for _him -_ Clint Barton. With Natasha Romanoff reaching out for him in her sleep, Clint thought to himself that he was well and truly had. Those few hours before morning came far too quick.  


 

\- - - - -

 

Natasha Romanoff was one of the world's most renowned assassins, trained by the Red Room to fight and destroy again and again, in a never ending loop of bloodshed. Her ledger was soaked in the red liquid, leaving a trail dripping behind her as she walked through SHIELD headquarters day after day. But despite the internal programming and death that surrounded her, the Black Widow somehow fell in love with the stubborn archer sent to destroy _her_.

 

Five years had passed since that day on the rooftop, when Clint lost his hearing. Natasha had watched the news break him and had watched him painfully build himself up again, piece by piece until he was cleared for duty again. His first solo mission since the accident had scared Natasha more than she would ever admit, even to herself and she felt herself lonely for the first time since Clint Barton (quite literally) dropped in to her life.  
  
His apartment was empty every time she picked the lock and let herself in, silently hoping the spy would be waiting for her with a snarky remark. She'd find herself lying on his bed trying to kill time until her next training session, envisioning the potentially fatal situations Clint could be putting himself in. She was thankful she hadn't been at base for the entire four weeks Clint was gone, the silence would have really pissed her off. Natasha hadn't realised just how much Clint had invaded her life and she found herself actually missing him.

 

A knock at the door had her leaping off of the bed before realising Barton wouldn't knock to enter his own place. Gun drawn, the spy circled the now opening door, awaiting an attack and instead finding an ever casual Coulson.  
“How did you know?”

  
The agent raised an eyebrow, letting Natasha know she hadn't fooled anyone.  
“He's twenty minutes out. Bit banged up but otherwise okay.”  
Unexpected relief flooded Natasha's veins. He was okay. He came back to her in one piece and not in a body bag. Coulson walked out in to the corridor, expecting Natasha to follow. She did, not trusting Coulson's information until she saw Clint with her own eyes.  
  
When he finally stumbled through the office door, locking eyes with her, Natasha felt something tug at her heart. Before her mind could catch up with her feet, she loped over to him. His arm was in a sling and there was a cut above his eyebrow that she touched lightly with the pads of her fingers, tracing the messy stitches. She was hyper-aware of Coulson watched the display and instead of speaking aloud, chose to sign; ' _Hello stranger_ '.  
Clint's grin was small and she couldn't help but worry a little, but it was still there. He was still there. Awkwardly, he managed to sign back, ' _I missed you_ '. Her heart did that funny thing again.

 

Clint had well and truly worked his way under Natasha's skin and she found she no longer minded.

 

 


End file.
